The EU constitution and future of global capitalism
Today's New York Times put it succinctly in its commentary on the failure of the EU referenda to pass in France and the Netherlands::
This drift towards an ideology of global markets illustrates what has gone wrong, seriously wrong, with the European "left". It also, alas, mirrors a similar trend among the Democrats in the United States. In both the US and Europe, the parties of the so-called "left" have abandoned progressive values and the interests of working people in favor of a pro-corporate agenda. And, meanwhile, the mass of people who have rejected this ideological drift are left without a political voice among the major forces in the governments of Western nations.
The people in France and the Netherlands were given a chance to voice their frustration through referenda. But, in general, there has been a feeling in Europe that the citizenry have been denied a say in this trend towards globalization capitalism. A similar process has happened in the US, where progressive voices have been shut out of the American politician process. Many progressives and liberals continue to cling to the hope that they can be rescued by the Democratic Party. Yet the Democratic Party is a hopelessly out-of-touch organization that has long ago thrown in its lot with corporate interests, globalization, and "market reforms", and that has refused to offer a bona fide left wing alternative to the reactionaries of the Republican Party. It serves up centrist, pro-globalization candidates like John Kerry for President--and then scratches its head when it finds that the voters do not enthusiastically embrace their party or candidates. In this way, the Democrats have only served to contribute to the overall rightward drift in American politics. (For an excellent analysis of this process, I recommend the Counterpunch article, "How the Democratic Party Fosters Conservatism").
As long as the voters in the US and Europe are prevented a means to express their frustration with this situation--in other words, as long as the Western political systems are hamstrung by undemocratic processes that deny people any real options or voice--then we'll see a continuation of this slide.
Europeans are perhaps facing more clearly than their American counterparts the reality of being caught between a rock and a hard place. On the one hand, they support the continuation of social welfare benefits that have insulated them from the worst effects of global capitalism. On the other hand, the market pressures of globalization are working to undermine these benefits. The tug-of-war is becoming more apparent--between unfettered capitalism and the hope of sustaining "capitalism with a human face". But the human face of capitalism is crumbling, and underneath its facade we are seeing the grim, ugly reality of something much darker and more unpleasant.
The governing parties of the left and the right are saying the same things to their people: that painful, free-market economic reforms are the only path toward rejuvenation, more jobs, better futures. And the people, who have come to equate the idea of an expanded Europe with a challenge to cradle-to-grave social protections, are giving the same answer: We don't believe you.Here we see in a nutshell what has gone horribly wrong with European politics--and, by extension, politics in the US as well. In Europe, we have seen that all the major political parties have signed on to the mantra of neoliberal globalization. This includes the parties of the so-called "left". And these parties are doing so despite the wishes of the people of Europe.
This drift towards an ideology of global markets illustrates what has gone wrong, seriously wrong, with the European "left". It also, alas, mirrors a similar trend among the Democrats in the United States. In both the US and Europe, the parties of the so-called "left" have abandoned progressive values and the interests of working people in favor of a pro-corporate agenda. And, meanwhile, the mass of people who have rejected this ideological drift are left without a political voice among the major forces in the governments of Western nations.
The people in France and the Netherlands were given a chance to voice their frustration through referenda. But, in general, there has been a feeling in Europe that the citizenry have been denied a say in this trend towards globalization capitalism. A similar process has happened in the US, where progressive voices have been shut out of the American politician process. Many progressives and liberals continue to cling to the hope that they can be rescued by the Democratic Party. Yet the Democratic Party is a hopelessly out-of-touch organization that has long ago thrown in its lot with corporate interests, globalization, and "market reforms", and that has refused to offer a bona fide left wing alternative to the reactionaries of the Republican Party. It serves up centrist, pro-globalization candidates like John Kerry for President--and then scratches its head when it finds that the voters do not enthusiastically embrace their party or candidates. In this way, the Democrats have only served to contribute to the overall rightward drift in American politics. (For an excellent analysis of this process, I recommend the Counterpunch article, "How the Democratic Party Fosters Conservatism").
As long as the voters in the US and Europe are prevented a means to express their frustration with this situation--in other words, as long as the Western political systems are hamstrung by undemocratic processes that deny people any real options or voice--then we'll see a continuation of this slide.
Europeans are perhaps facing more clearly than their American counterparts the reality of being caught between a rock and a hard place. On the one hand, they support the continuation of social welfare benefits that have insulated them from the worst effects of global capitalism. On the other hand, the market pressures of globalization are working to undermine these benefits. The tug-of-war is becoming more apparent--between unfettered capitalism and the hope of sustaining "capitalism with a human face". But the human face of capitalism is crumbling, and underneath its facade we are seeing the grim, ugly reality of something much darker and more unpleasant.
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